Thursday, June 26, 2014

I have always had a thing for pre-loved stuff. I feel a feel for them.. you got the drift, right..?

I have always scouted for pre-loved stuff. I never really like the gleaming brand new stuff at showroom, show me a pawn shop full of pre-loved stuff. I can spend hours there...!

This is first of the series in Pre-loved stories. The red enamel containers were picked from a lady who sells stuff from old Chettinad houses & the glass bottle was picked from last year's visit to Chor Bazaar.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Things have been super busy for couple of months now. New client at work, grand parents' visit, little A turning 3 & starting the big school, a career awareness program for high school kids at MSS Bangalore for my work partner's NGO, hubster's job movement , his travel to meet his grand mom, big A's school re-opening & his new teachers were some of the good things that kept us busy & happy.MIL had to go through an emergency surgery during this visit. A good outcome of this unfortunate incident is that babies, in-between-job hubster and grand parents are having a great time together as grandparents were forced to stay back in Bangalore for recovery for a month more than what they had initially planned..!That's my excuse to stay away from blogging for last few weeks...!I had been reading fantabulously talented Uma of My musings for long. When I saw her new home pictures in her blog, I was super fast to request for a home tour for us. Uma has been extremely nice & sent all those gorgeous corners of her new -house-turned-warm- home along with the stories of how it became one. here we start..!

Tell us about the wonderful people at your home

Home comprises of my husband, I and our 4.5 year son. The
husband is the cool cucumber while I’m the firebrand in terms of temperament. Jokes apart, he’s completely my
support factor; encourages me to pursue my interests and also eggs me on to do
better in my chosen field when I tend to slack.

Our son, an inquisitive, bright and energetic pre-schooler, is the light of our lives. Both, my husband and I, are equally involved when it comes to parenting and parenting decisions.

Tell us about your home and the love involved in making the
house a home.

When we bought our home in 2011 ideas to do up my home began
to take shape in my head and as the house started to near completion, I began
to chisel those ideas at a more concrete level. The internet and Facebook
groups like Bangalore craft lovers were my messiah. I’d spend hours at the
lovely home décor blogs, yours included, to zero down on my idea of a home. The
home tours and tips helped immensely to understand my own taste and refine my
needs.

I did not have the
bandwidth to go all the way in designing my home, hence took the help of an
able designer, Neelu. Read more about Uma's experience in working with Neelu here.

My house had to be Indian ethnic-warm and cozy with a lot of
warm colours –that’s what I told my designer when I first met her. I was
completely involved in the process and loved every part of it. I’m glad that my
designer was super cooperative and tried to accommodate all my needs and
suggestions. There were many mini-projects that were handled by a creative set
of people (at the Spinning Wheel) that truly gave a personal touch to my home.

Look at some gorgeous mini projects of hers, they are truly inspiring..!

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The tiles on the doors & the ceramic knobs are such a beautiful idea..!

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Some more tile in-lay projects..!

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Her puja nook..!

What did you like about in doing up a home?

Everything! From scouring the net to find the best possible
rates for a particular material to finding the right kind of store that matched
my budget, to discussing every detail with my designer, all of it gave me great
satisfaction and happiness. There was one DIY project (a stencil wall art) that
my designer and I got it done on a wall. It was my very first DIY project and
was pretty kicked to have my hands on it.

Uma's DIY paisleys! Beautiful..!

Isn't that a beautiful wall decor?

I tried to get every furniture and accessory customized to
suit my taste and of course budget. For example, the sofas came all the way from
Jodhpur. I had a painting which I didn’t like and viola; it got transformed
into a table top! Similarly the curtains are all custom-made by a creative
person I found on FB. The creative head of The Spinning Wheel who has now
become a good friend helped me put together a lot of conversational pieces
around the house from existing old stuff. (The coffee table with a painting as
a table top, a weaved pot, customized large mirror, the swing and many more).
The swing was actually my son’s cradle that I got converted to an adult jhoola.

I love those sofas, don't you?

That is an awesome idea!

Which is your favourite place at your home & why..?

It’s difficult to pick one corner since I’ve mulled over in
great detail over most nooks and corners. However, if I had to pick one, it
would be the swing in my balcony. The openness of the space, the lovely view
and chance to be with nature makes me feel blessed. Even 5 minutes of a quiet
morning spent here energizes me to take on the day.

A lovely reading nook by the breezy balcony, wow how gorgeous is that ...?

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Love the muted colours of this room..!

I saved my favourite pic for last, isn't that most uncluttered, awesome kid's room you have ever seen? Love the breezy feel of the room. Gorgeous curtains, aren't they?

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I had loads of fun seeing through Uma's world & talking to her. Hope you did too!

If you have a gorgeous home to be shared with our readers, please write to padmamanasa@gmail.com; I will be super excited to feature your homes.